This invention relates to personal watercraft carriers or shuttles and particularly, to a carrier which allows a personal watercraft to be transported with a trailerable boat. The invention also includes a method of loading a personal watercraft for transport on a trailerable boat.
The term "personal watercraft" refers to a class of watercraft designed to carry one to three passengers in a standing position or seated in tandem with a seat similar to a motorcycle seat. As used herein, "personal watercraft" refers to any of the class of one to three passenger, motorized watercraft with tandem seating as in a motorcycle or with the user standing or kneeling on the vehicle.
Personal watercraft are commonly stored at home and transported to a lake or other water recreation area for use. For transport, the personal watercraft may be trailered with a special trailer designed to accept one or more of the vehicles. One or more personal watercraft may also be carried in the bed of a pick-up. Special carriers such as that shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,960,356 to Wrenn facilitate carrying personal watercraft in the bed of a pick-up.
A problem arises when the personal watercraft owner does not own a pick-up and desires to transport a regular, trailerable power boat in addition to the personal watercraft. One solution to this problem is shown in the product known as the "PWC POWER LIFT" by Sport Boat Trailer of Menlo Park, Calif. The "PWC POWER LIFT" device includes a personal watercraft carrier connected by long, pivoting arms to the trailer for a trailerable boat. The pivoting arms are lowered to put the personal watercraft carrier in position to load and unload the personal watercraft, and then pivoted upwardly with a hydraulic ram to position the carrier and loaded personal watercraft above the boat loaded on the trailer. Although this solution allows the personal watercraft and regular power boat to be trailered at the same time, the solution is costly, heavy, and requires a powerful lifting mechanism. Also, since the personal watercraft is carried on the trailer, it may not be carried across water on the trailerable boat.